Oh no! After I Reincarnated, My Moms Became Son-cons! - Volume 12 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The temperature in the North started to warm up again . I was very grateful to Freya . To be honest, I never thought of blowing up the mountains to bring in the warm breeze from the ocean . I was surprised that such a strange method worked . The accumulated snow on the mountains melted, flowing down to the rivers, thereby forming a mother river .

The dyke Freya had constructed stopped the running water in the middle of the river, thereby preventing the Northern plain from being drowned . The plain of the North received moisture from the two rivers and countless other branches of the rivers, turning the frozen land into rich lands spanning thousands of miles . Of course, the two rivers needed to be modified over and over . Alas, we still wouldn’t have enough people to actually plant crops on the land where the river reached even if we didn’t completely modify the surrounding land . The population in the North was frankly too small . As such, we didn’t need to organise fields or people nearby at the moment .

What does the North need most right now? One was people and the other was money . Both were absolute necessities . Though Troy City could provide money and resources, it was impossible to satisfy an entire nation with what was available at a single city . I couldn’t keep making Troy City bleed out for us . I knew that elves and humanity could supply me with money . However, I didn’t want to let my moms do anything in the North . They certainly didn’t want to take away my North, but if their subordinates came and went, then that would put my moms in a tough spot . Yes, I was talking about humanity specifically there .

I needed to come up with a way to get some money from the businessmen . Regardless of what society you’re talking about, nobles aren’t necessarily rich, but businessmen will definitely have money . The money that businessmen possess and the nation were unrelated . I didn’t harm them in any capacity after entering the Imperial City . They, therefore, were bound to have money on hand .

I wouldn’t rob . I wasn’t trying to destroy the land . I wanted to rule the place . I couldn’t let the people down . I required money, but I didn’t necessarily need to rob it from them .

“That’s right, gentlemen, I am the new ruler of the North, Troy Galadriel Rosvenor . ”

I looked at the anthropoids seated down below . I didn’t know what their evaluation of me was . All I saw in their gazes was confusion, curiosity, vigilance and resentment . I didn’t know what they thought of my invitation . Some didn’t come, but the majority showed up .

Businessmen wouldn’t pick a fight with money . Changing their ruler merely meant changing who they paid taxes to . They wanted a stable and safe environment to do business . What they were most concerned about was what sort of ruler I was . I called them over, and they came to see if they could get something out in business in the future . If that was their guess, then they were right .

“You should all be aware that change is coming to the North . That’s right . From the weather to the ruler, things are changing . I’m also a member of the elven imperial family . I know what the state of the North once was . The North was once the same as the South to you, but it became what it is now owing to the lack of the elven spring water . The North is now reverting back to how it originally was without the elven spring water . In the future, the North will flourish again under my rule . ”

Some of the anthropoids below nodded, but the majority of them chose to keep silent . I, personally, was never eager to hear their opinions . If I was in their shoes, I would be very careful and vigilant around a new ruler of a different race; it was a must . Before you know what the personality of the new ruler is, it’s best to avoid showing any reaction . It was just as they said: risk and gains go hand in hand . A minor action may get yourself killed .

I cleared my throat gently, “However, you must also all be aware why I asked you to come . The reason is simple . The assets left behind for me by the North were very minimal . The previous elven Queen left me with just an empty national treasury . There was some money, but that would only be enough for a King to live a slightly luxurious life . I don’t know where the money in the North has gone off to . Perhaps the North doesn’t actually have much money . But if we want to develop the North, then money is an essential . Ah, you can all calm down . I didn’t call you here to rob you . ”

Seeing them all sigh, I quickly smiled and added, “Gentlemen, I came to the North to rule it, not to destroy it . If I wanted money, would you still be sitting there? I could’ve plundered the city the first day I entered the city if I wanted . Why would I go out of my way to wait until now? Hence, you don’t need to worry .  But you all understand what I mean . I’m not here to rob you of your money . I’m here to loan money . Also, I’m not loaning money from you as myself, because I don’t have a job; or rather, a Prince has no salary . Therefore, I’m not loaning money from you as myself . ”

They were confused . Freya, who was sitting next to me, stood up . She chuckled and explained, “You must have all loaned money before, so I do not need to elaborate on that topic . This time, we are loaning money from you, not as ourselves or as members of the imperial family, as we may die or run away . We are loaning money from you as the nation . You give us your money, and we will invest it on construction in the North . After that, we will pay you back the loan plus interest annually based on annual income . As this is an investment with an entity, you will see the structures and factories we build as well as our annual income . We will pay you more interest correspondingly . This is considered a loan from the nation . You are supplying the nation . The monarch can run, but the nation cannot run . ”

The people below exchanged eye contact . I stood up to join Freya . “You can discuss it among yourselves first . To avoid suspicion, we will leave for a while . We will return once you are done . We look forward to your response . Thank you . ”

Freya and I left the guest room . We looked at each other . She shyly giggled then softly said, “I wonder if we will be able to loan money this time . If we fail, do we need to destroy the palace and sell it as Empress Elizabeth did?”

“We really would have to sleep in construction tents, then . ”

“Will we share a room again, then? Onii-sama, the Princess is coming, you know? You must be careful!”