BXBX NOVEL Chapter 91
Chapter 91
Kane turned his head to look at Anna.
“Is there something on my face?”
At her question, Kane chuckled.
“It’s nothing.”
This was quite an interesting game.
The situation changes depending on the character’s feelings...
That’s why building favorablity is important.
Although this was inside a game, for him, it wasn’t much different from reality.
When a character’s mind changes, a lot can happen.
Anna was no exception.
Her emotions had shifted, allowing him to unlock a 5-star character.
If not, he would’ve had to complete a secret quest.
Only then would the Ghost Hunter character be unlocked.
‘This place is slowly becoming a gathering of monsters.’
But it was too early to be satisfied.
When he was Ray Hatzfeld!
The weapon shop owner.
The general store owner.
Even the tavern and innkeepers—everyone had to become monsters.
If he had kept developing, then he could have wiped out Hatzfeld and the Meyer family behind them easily.
He couldn’t afford to stop running.
Kane gently patted Sara’s head, which must have felt heavy with responsibility.
“Make lots of friends and get along well.”
“Ugh, stop it! What are you doing, seriously?”
With a flushed face, Sara hurried into the school.
“If anyone bullies you, let me know. I’ll deal with them.”
At Kane’s earnest words, she shouted back.
“Just go, you’re embarrassing me!”
Sara disappeared into the school.
As Kane turned, Anna spoke up.
“Aren’t you going to check on Master Sasha and Lady Rose?”
Rose was his favorite character.
No matter how much he looked at her, she never got old, but now wasn’t the time.
“Tegelo will invade soon. We need to prepare for war.”
Rose could wait.
If he wanted to protect her from getting hurt, he had to win this war.
That was the best way to keep his favorite character from suffering.
“Make sure to train the maids well, Anna.”
“Leave it to me.”
After parting with Anna, Kane climbed the eastern castle wall.
He could see the Rehinar territory.
Below, the vast land spread out.
“To engage in trade by sea, we’ll need to dig canals, like in Phileac.”
The roads in the Rehinar territory were quite wide.
The landmass was large enough.
It was well-suited for digging canals.
“But… the problem is money.”
[Current Funds: 590 million gold]
It included gold taken from Gillip of the Black Crow Exchange.
Elemental stones obtained from subjugating dungeons.
Sales from monster corpses.
Weapons sold by Mikhail.
A portion of the royalties from the gems crafted by Gillip.
The amount had been collected through various sources.
There wouldn’t be much trouble digging the canals.
Just like when he cleared out the slums, he selected the area where the canals would be constructed.
‘I need to expand the canals around the castle walls.’
There was already a small canal in front of the walls.
It was used to prevent flooding during heavy rain or as a defense when enemies tried to breach the walls.
But it wasn’t enough.
It would need to be at least three times wider than before.
In the end, he selected the entire area around the castle walls.
Now, inside the territory.
He continued to choose areas for canal installation, just as before.
First, Kane drew a cross inside the square territory.
Then, he drew a circle on top of it.
He added another smaller circle inside the first one.
Suddenly, the temple in the center of the territory rose majestically.
As he selected the area for the canal, the land began to rise.
"Not bad."
Now, it was time for the final stage.
He extended the eastern canal all the way to Philaec.
[Warning! This is another family's territory!]
[Warning! Connecting a canal without permission from the other family may lead to unforeseen consequences.]
Philaec was a territory once ruled by Count Dyer.
Since he had passed away, the land had no current lord.
"Proceed."
[You will need gold to connect all the canals.]
[Total cost: 500 million gold]
[Do you wish to proceed with the connection? (Y/N)]
When he pressed YES, the Rehinar territory was enveloped in light.
[500 million gold has been used.]
[The canals have been connected.]
[The 'Port' has been unlocked in your territory.]
[The territory's level has increased.]
[Trade routes with Philaec have been established.]
[You can now recruit characters from Philaec.]
When the light that had obscured his vision disappeared, an entirely different scene unfolded before him.
A stream of water flowed from the Rehinar family to the Grand Temple.
Then again, the stream branched out, cascading down below the territory.
As the canals filled with water, Rehinar transformed into a water city.
---
“What the...!?”
Gillip, who had been selling jewelry to noblewomen, was startled.
There was light pouring in from outside.
An unusual flow of mana.
And not just that—
It was as if the ground itself was shifting.
The buildings, fortunately, did not collapse. Perhaps they had been designed with seismic reinforcement. The structures remained safe.
“B-Brother!”
The third brother of the Black Crow Exchange hurried into the jewelry shop.
“We’ve got customers right now! What’s with the fuss?!”
“You need to see what’s happening outside.”
“Why? What’s going on out there?”
“I can’t explain it, just come out and see!”
Frustrated by his brother's persistence, Gillip clenched his teeth.
“If this isn’t worth it, you’re dead.”
Gillip stepped outside.
But the Rehinar he once knew was no more.
“H-How did this happen!?”
Canals had appeared in the city.
And not just one, but multiple branching canals.
The canal was wide enough for a massive trade ship to enter.
“Didn’t I say I couldn’t explain it?” the third brother muttered.
“Find out why Rehinar changed like this! Send all our people out!” Gillip ordered.
The Black Crow Exchange members were in a frenzy. The transformation of Rehinar, once a small, rural town, was astonishing.
It was critical to find out what had happened, and quickly, so they could decide how to respond.
Gillip returned to the shop to calm the noblewomen.
“We are investigating the situation, so please, remain calm.”
“Oh my, what in the world is going on?” one asked.
“Is it some sort of illusion barrier?” another wondered.
“They said Tegelo was preparing for war. Are they trying to sow chaos in Rehinar?”
“I thought we were safe with the Second Princess coming to Rehinar…” Despite the reassurances, the noblewomen were visibly anxious.
This was the outskirts, far from the capital. The fact that royal influence didn't easily reach this region was now more unsettling than ever.
Gillip was pondering similar thoughts when his third brother rushed over.
“Brother! We’ve found the cause!”
“Is it an illusion barrier? Did Tegelo invade?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“They say Young Master Kane used advanced construction magic.”
“What!?”
Gillip's jaw dropped. He was well aware of the power of high-level construction magic—magic that could create an entire city in a snap. But it wasn’t something one could do alone. Only by collaborating with other construction mages could such a feat be accomplished quickly.
If someone tried to perform it alone, they risked mana exhaustion, which could be life-threatening. Like battle mages, construction mages also faced danger when they overexerted themselves, especially when they hit mana exhaustion.
That’s when they were most vulnerable.
“He's insane…” Gillip mumbled in disbelief.
As he stood there, lost in thought, an unpleasant voice reached his ears.
“Insane? You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve.”
In front of the jewelry shop stood a striking man with white hair. It was none other than Kane Rehinar.
“Y-Young Master Kane!” Gillip stammered.
“I don’t let people who insult me live. So, what should I do with you?”
Kane's eyes narrowed into crescent shapes, a sign Gillip knew all too well.
Recognizing the danger, Gillip immediately dropped to the ground.
“N-No, Your Grace! I’m uneducated, and my words slipped out in the heat of the moment! I’d never dare insult you!”
He grovelled on the ground, knowing Kane's habits well as the head of an intelligence organization.
‘When those eyes turn crescent-shaped… blood is sure to spill. I’m the only one who’s ever seen them and lived to tell the tale.’
Gillip took great pride in that knowledge.
‘Damn it, what kind of advanced construction magic did he use? I only got a brief look, but to dig canals of this magnitude would require at least a basic seismic shift spell.’
Seismic shift magic—only mages of 6th class or higher could cast it. And that was just the bare minimum.
To change the terrain in such a short time, the magic had to be even more advanced.
‘This guy’s a complete monster. Damn it,’ Gillip thought, though he kept his inner turmoil hidden and quickly shifted the subject.
“But, what brings you here today, Your Grace?” he asked.
“There’s something you need to get for me,” Kane replied calmly.
“Just say the word, and I’ll have it for you immediately.”
“I need a lot of magic essence.”
“Are you referring to mana stone extract?”
“Can you get it?”
“It’s not difficult, but… it’ll cost some money….” Gillip tried to glance up, but Kane’s eyes remained narrowed into that dangerous crescent shape.
“Haha, I was just joking! Of course, since it’s your request, I’ll get it for you right away,” Gillip quickly backpedaled, wiping the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief.
For some reason, whenever he stood in front of Kane, he felt incredibly small. It was an odd sensation for someone as rebellious as Gillip. He couldn't figure out why, but Kane Rehinar always made him feel this way.
‘Why am I acting like a fool? Should I just confront him?’
A part of Gillip wanted to stand up to Kane, but every time he saw those crescent eyes, his courage shrank to nothing.
‘Alright, I’ll let it go for now. But if he pulls something like this again, I won’t hold back,’ he thought, swallowing his frustration.
Whether Kane was aware of Gillip’s internal struggle or not, he acted even more shamelessly.
“You’re the first.”
“Excuse me?” Gillip responded, confused.
“You’re the first person I’ve forgiven three times.”
“Why is that…?”
“No one’s ever insulted me and lived to tell the tale. Consider it an honor.”
“Ah… yes… th-thank you, Your Grace.” Gillip did his best to hide his dissatisfaction.
Just then, the noblewomen caught his attention.
“Didn’t you just ask earlier about the designer of this jewelry?” Gillip addressed one of them.
“You said you couldn’t reveal it before. Have you changed your mind? Who is it?” one of the women asked.
“This man right here,” Gillip said, pointing to Kane.
“Is that… true?” the noblewoman’s gaze shifted to Kane.
Kane raised an eyebrow, puzzled by Gillip’s actions.
“What’s going on?” Kane asked.
“The ladies were asking about the jewelry designer, so I pointed them to you,” Gillip explained.
Ignoring Kane, Gillip spoke directly to the noblewoman.
“You mentioned you had something to ask, didn’t you? Now would be the perfect time to address your curiosity.”
The noblewomen pointed to the crest engraved on the jewelry.
“This emblem... Did Your Grace, Young Master Kane, truly place this here?”
The noblewoman addressed Kane with respect.
As the eldest son and heir to the dukedom, he was no longer the dullard Young Duke of old. He had become the rising tiger of the Rehinar family. These women were not in a position to speak to him informally.
“Yes, that’s correct. Is there a problem with it?”
“It’s true, then... It’s so beautiful that I wanted to know who designed it. What was the brand name again?”
“It’s ‘KaraShi.’”
“That’s right, KaraShi. Even the name is super elegant.”
“By any chance, do you take custom orders?”
“No.”
Kane’s firm voice caused a wave of disappointment among the noblewomen.
“However, depending on the amount you purchase, your treatment will differ. If you become one of our special customers, you’ll be able to access an even higher-tier jewelry.”
Gillip had never heard this before, but Kane’s words had an immediate and powerful impact.
“Jewelry better than this? How much would we need to buy to become special customers?”
“Gillip, sell me all of these pieces. The Birz family will purchase them all.”
“No, sell them to me instead!”
The noblewomen were now competing to buy. As those with a discerning eye recognized immediately, these jewels were incredibly valuable.
By the time the commotion began, Kane had already disappeared. Gillip muttered to himself.
“He’s a real player. He completely captivated these picky women.”
The jewelry store descended into chaos as the noblewomen fought to buy the pieces. Realizing this was his moment, Gillip fanned the flames.
“I’m sure you’ve all heard rumors that Tegelo and Rehinar might go to war soon. Due to Young Master Kane’s preparations, he won’t be making any more jewelry for the time being. What’s available on the market now is all there will be.”
As soon as he finished speaking, one of the noblewomen shot her hand into the air.
“Ten billion gold for all of it!”
Gillip’s face broke into a wide grin at the enormous sum.