The good things and the bad things—both tend to explode all at once, much like a volcano erupting.
There are many stories of people who suddenly start to succeed in their businesses or become financially stable after having children or getting married.
On the other hand, many people face sudden losses, such as losing their wife to illness or being unexpectedly fired from their jobs, pushing them into a corner.
"Say that again. What did you just say?"
The messenger from the village of Bío straightened up and replied.
"We've successfully cultured pearls, my lord. I rushed here non-stop, changing horses from dawn till dusk just to deliver this news!"
A messenger should never say anything other than what they are asked to.
Anyone who has even the slightest experience in this line of work would know this basic rule.
However, the fact that this messenger is telling me how hard they worked shows that he’s a rookie at this. But in this case, given the secrecy involved, it must mean someone directly working at the pearl farm came to deliver the news personally.
"Take a deep breath and calm down. Then speak slowly."
The messenger listened to my words, took a deep breath, and then continued.
"I’m sorry. I was just so happy."
"What you’ve achieved is like turning charcoal into diamonds. You don’t need to apologize for something like this."
In modern society, pearls are not considered all that expensive.
But up until 1897, when Mikimoto Kōkichi succeeded in culturing pearls, pearls were traded as gemstones on par with diamonds.
Before cultured pearls became common in the early 20th century, Cartier's pearl necklaces were traded for mansions in the heart of New York.
In the Tuscany Empire, along with other nations, pearls were considered one of the finest gems, on the same level as diamonds, rubies, and sapphires.
If I manage to hide the fact that they are cultured pearls and control their supply, I could make a fortune.
"Tell me the details."
"Our pearl farm can produce over 20,000 pearls a year. Of those, 90% are unsuitable for use as gemstones. But the remaining 10%—the craftsmen working at the farm say they are of sufficient quality to be used as gemstones."
In any era, pearls that are considered gemstones must have a beautiful round shape.
The ones that are deformed can be valuable in some rare cases, but they have almost no value as gems.
In China, which cultivates pearls on the scale of medium-sized buildings, deformed pearls are even handed out to tourists.
But anyway, if we cultivate pearl oysters for just a year, there's a 10% chance that a diamond-quality pearl will be produced.
"That’s very promising. Is the production system stabilized?"
"The pearl oysters are raised in separate farms: one for the larvae to mature into adults, another for inserting the pearl nuclei, and the final one where the oysters are kept until they produce the pearls. It’s divided into three distinct stages."
"The confidentiality is being maintained, right?"
"Everyone working at the pearl farm and their families are strictly prohibited from leaving the village or meeting outsiders. If anyone leaks information, they are executed, regardless of the severity, as a lesson."
Everything in this world works like that.
The reason why things I do seem easy but don’t bring in much money is because anyone else can do it too.
If the know-how for pearl farming is exposed, then others will be able to replicate it, increasing the number of ‘replacing forces’ and inevitably diminishing the value of the technology.
"That’s very good."
Confidentiality is maintained well, and production is going smoothly. Now, all that’s left is to sell them to the nobles of the Albanian continent and the Sultanates without crashing the market price.
Then, I saw the messenger’s appearance.
He had clearly not had time to wash himself, with dirt smeared all over his face and clothes, and his pants torn from riding all day without rest.
"You’ve worked hard to get here, so I’ll grant you a new outfit and a gold coin."
"Thank you, my lord."
The value of a gold coin in tangible terms is close to 10 million won.
But considering the weight of the task the messenger undertook and his dedicated attitude, this much seems appropriate.
"And in two weeks, I plan to visit Bío Village with my family and also take a little vacation while inspecting the farm. Let the village know."
"They’ll all be delighted, especially the workers at the pearl farm."
Although it may sound like an absurdity—having the commander bring his family to Bío Village for a vacation—the messenger beamed with a sincere smile, clearly happy.
"Everyone says that thanks to you, my lord, they no longer need to worry about food. In fact, the church in our village holds a mass every week, praying for your prosperity without anyone instructing them."
In the Tuscany Empire, while I may not know the total gross output of the domain, I can confidently say that the average income of our villagers is probably the highest.
Other territories typically collect about 60% in taxes, but we only collect about 30%. On top of that, there are many side jobs available during the off-season, and the pay is good.
In particular, the residents of Bío Village, which I first received as a fief, enjoy full tax exemption and generous wages in exchange for maintaining the confidentiality of the technology.
The poorest among the villagers live better than most city artisans.
The workers at the pearl farm, where confidentiality is absolutely necessary, earn an annual salary of over 100 million won for entry-level positions, and the average salary is around 200 million.
‘If my previous employer had treated me like this, I would have been happy too.’
"Do you remember when you ate abalone and liked it?"
It was about two and a half years ago when I complimented the abalone I ate.
So, dried abalone from the Bío Village farm often appears on our family’s table.
"Natural abalone is definitely tastier than farmed ones. I’ll have the women catch a lot for us."
"I’ll look forward to it. And you look tired, so please go rest. I’ll make sure the chef prepares a meal for you."
The messenger, upon hearing my invitation, quickly left to get a meal.
As soon as he left, Sebastian entered.
"Your expression is bright. Something good must have happened."
Can they tell just by looking at my face?
"I’ve finally succeeded in pearl farming."
Sebastian’s eyes widened, and he immediately covered his mouth with his hand, momentarily speechless.
"Baron, you’ve now succeeded in mining diamonds from the sea. I wouldn’t be surprised if you start making bread from air or turning pieces of wood into gold."
While making bread from air is impossible, if I could generate strong pressure and current...
I could potentially compress nitrogen from the air and produce unlimited amounts of fertilizer and gunpowder.
Turning wood into gold is obviously impossible.
"That’s impossible. How could anyone do that?"
"If we ask our vassals, I’m sure they’ll all agree," he replied, a grin forming.
What exactly do they think of me in this family?
The last time I visited the emperor, when I mentioned ‘the wisdom of the British Empire,’ they looked at me like I was some demon who had risen from hell.
The Duke even joked that if I set my mind to it, I could turn the whole continent to ash.
Honestly, I feel a bit unfair about that.
I’m simply using the disgust that imperialists and modern people have created.
But I guess Deus, the god, would understand.
I don’t pray religiously, but since reincarnation exists, Deus probably does too...
‘I should ask when I meet him after I die.’
"Now that I’ve succeeded in pearl farming, I think it’s only right for me to visit and encourage them. I’ll bring generous gifts and plenty of money and offer praise."
When people are given generous rewards for their work, they will go beyond their limits and continue working without tiring.
One large corporation, famous for torturing aliens, proved this.
They made all their employees millionaires, but still had them work overtime for years without anyone dying.
Of course, pushing people beyond their limits is a terrible thing, so I have no intention of following their example.
‘Did they really treat their valuable employees like that?’
"Chloe, Kris, Erica, and Leo—I’ll take them with me to Bío Village to rest and offer encouragement. I plan to leave next week, so prepare for it."
"Yes, understood.
As I was about to head out for a relaxing trip, one of our soldiers stationed in Bío Village hurriedly ran toward me.
"Something terrible has happened! The seaweed farm—it's been attacked!"
...Damn it, who would dare do this?
This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.