If they loaned that money to Marvin and the other territories asked to borrow from them, they might end up in a situation where they were strapped for cash.
From this point of view, Marvin’s request was a bit absurd.
But directly declining wasn’t a good way to handle it.
Because something very tempting was written on Marvin’s loan application.
10000 Wizard golds, six month return deadline. Collateral, two gold mines.
Immediately after the end of the wilderness clearing military campaign, Marvin promptly looked for someone to check the ore vein at the core of the Ogres’ mountain.
The outcome made him overjoyed.
According to his father, there was a gold mine there. But that wasn’t the result of the investigation. There wasn’t just one vein, there were two!
The two ore veins ran parallel to each other and didn’t cross paths, one south and one north. Marvin gave mining rights for one to the Silver Church as part of their business transaction, but he was still the owner of the gold mine.
According to the investigation, if they mined with a certain intensity, it would take about twenty years to fully mine.
Their entire value when added together exceeded 60000 Wizard golds.
It was the appearance of those two golds mines that made things difficult for the finance department.
The head of the department, O’Connor, already sent a group of people to check, and there was no issue with Marvin’s report. No one expected such a hidden treasure to lie in the vicinity of a barbarous place like the Shrieking Mountain Range. But it was too late to act, because that mountain along with the coastline already became the personal property of Marvin.
Moreover, the wilderness clearing order was still in effect. As long as he kept opening up new territory for the next half a year, the wilderness clearing order would remain valid.
Who knew what this ambitious young man would do.
In the eyes of the higher ups of the Alliance, Marvin was a very promising Overlord worth nurturing.
And his ability to repay the debt in the long term was very high. There was apparently no risk in lending this money.
But the amount was too large, so the finance department had to convene this meeting.
..
“Ladies and Gentlemen, everyone must have already grasped the information about White River Valley.” O’Connor looked at everyone and resolutely announced, “Now is the time to vote.”
“Oh, that’s right. If anyone is worried about the guarantee, there was a piece of information an hour ago, Dame Hathaway of the Three Ring Towers is willing to vouch for this debt. But it was in a hurry, so there wasn’t time to formally send the vouching document. But Dame Hathaway’s reputation is flawless.”
O’Connor finished and then took the lead. “I agree to provide this loan.”
“I agree.”
“I agree.”
Even Peter who was initially sneering shrugged. “I agree.”
Only the last man was silent for a moment before sighing, “I abstain from voting.”
The all gave him a pitying look.
This was a Unicorn clansman. They had heard about the small grudges between the Unicorn clan and Marvin.
It was said that the Unicorn clan was intending to deal with Marvin, but they ended up suffering from the disaster known as the Ancient Red Dragon Ell.
The Unicorn clan had already collapsed. As one of the few remaining clansman, even if this person had a high position in the South Wizard Alliance, he couldn’t create much trouble for Marvin.
4 to 0, perfect pass.
Half an hour later, Bass Harbor, in the lobby of the South Wizard Alliance’s eastern headquarters.
“Congratulations, Miss Anna, Lord Marvin’s application has already been approved.”
O’Connor personally handed a document to Anna and then looked behind them. “As long as Baron Marvin shows his Baron Medal, he can sign it.”
Anna took out a medal and smiled. “He didn’t come, but I brought the medal. Is that a problem?”
O’Connor froze. Such an important matter was actually handled by a butler?
She couldn’t help but ask, “Where is Baron Marvin now?”
“He…” Anna signed while helplessly saying, “I also don’t know…”
Lola behind her back also nodded. “Lord Marvin is indeed known as the Wanderer. After giving us quite a bit of tasks, he slipped away.”
…
Indeed, just as Lola said, after Marvin completed the planning of the development of his territory, and gave everyone long term and short term tasks, he once again left his territory.
He was going west this time. He didn’t bring anyone along apart from Isabelle.
Acting as an overlord wasn’t his strong point. He would at most know a bit of basic management general knowledge, and only had a rough idea on how to quickly build a powerful territory.
It turned out that Daniela displayed breathtaking talent in this regard.
Marvin felt quite at ease in leaving the territory development to Daniela. Of course, during Marvin’s absence, the Proxy Overlord was still Wayne.
And the matter of River Shore City’s loan was very simple, just send a sealed letter and Madeline would send the stuff.
The 6th page of the Book of Nalu was still in her hands after all, and she was still in the middle of enlightenment.
Before she advanced, Hathaway could come and take back that page any time, thus she didn’t dare to go against Marvin.
And as for the South Wizard Alliance’s loan, he carefully considered and still sent Anna.
This was a huge amount of money. He wouldn’t trust the others with it. He only felt relieved with the butler who had always silently followed behind his back all this time.
As for Lola, he sent her to buy supplies and slaves.
He already officially appointed Lola as White River Valley’s Finance official. She was mainly in charge of purchasing and budgeting. The true financial power was still in the hands of Anna.
Daniela was mainly in charge of building the territory. She wasn’t meddling with the other matters.
But her existence was also considered as an insurance after Marvin left.
Even though the Dark Guards were always there to defend White River Valley, but if they met a powerhouse, they wouldn’t be able to contend against it.
Constantine and O’Brien had left White River Valley after all. The former because of the Red Dragon’s corpse. Apparently there was no one in the South who knew how to properly dismember a Dragon. In order to maximize the profits, Constantine intended to personally set out to look for an old acquaintance. That guy reportedly had dissected at least three Dragons! He had plenty of experience.
Fortunately the Red Dragon’s corpse in the Thousand Paper Crane wouldn’t have any issue. As for the matter of the Dragon Blood’s bath, Marvin once asked Constantine and was scolded by the latter for wanting to recklessly waste such a resource.
Dragon blood could make very powerful medicine. Using it to bathe would certainly increase one’s attributes, but it wasn’t very cost efficient.
After Marvin understood, he decided to wait for that butcher’s arrival while also asking Constantine to help with recruiting a few master-level Potioneers.
Apart from this, Ivan followed Anna and Lola to Bass Harbor in the north in order to guarantee the safety of the funds.
And the rest of the territory’s progress was carefully arranged.
…
Three days later, Marvin brought along Isabelle and climbed over the the mountain on the far west of the Deathly Silent Hills, northwest of River Shore City.
What spread in front of them was an endless desert.
The Saint Desert.
Marvin let out a breath and took the lead under the setting sun.
“Let’s go, we have a long road ahead of us.”
Chapter 216: White Deer in the Desert
Cha
pter 216: White Deer in the Desert
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
A tall silhouette and a small silhouette were struggling forward in an endless sandy area.
There was a lot of wind and their feet would sink in the sand with each step, greatly impeding their progress.
Especially the little girl in the back. Her face had a few bloody scratches from the flying sand, but they had already dried up.
It could be seen that she struggled with every single step.
But she was still resolutely following behind Marvin, expressionless.
From her words, she wouldn’t hesitate to do anything Marvin asked her to do.
And Marvin didn’t lend her a helping hand.
He could see a shadow of his former friend from this girl with 18 years left to live. The path ahead would be full of hardship, difficult even for Marvin.
But she was confident in him. The way she was looking at him made Marvin feel responsible for her.
He had to think of a way to save her.
Thus, when he left White River Valley this time, he didn’t bring anyone else, only Isabelle!
Marvin planned a path full of hardship for her.
That path was far more difficult than this desert, but it was her only chance.
‘I hope this child can persevere.’
Marvin turned and took a glance at Isabelle. She clearly was running out of strength, but she still listened to Marvin’s words: To not use [Blink].
This ability would endlessly burn her already short remaining lifespan. Marvin ordered her to not use it except as a last resort.
She was struggling at every step.
This seemed to be the fate of the Hammons.
Marvin stopped and waited for a while before Isabelle slowly caught up.
In fact, they were already three days away from the Deathly Silent Hills.
Marvin had a compass in hand, making sure they wouldn’t go in the wrong direction.
“There is about an hour of walking left. How are you?” he asked with concern.
Isabelle softly nodded.
The two continued forward.
An hour and twenty minutes later, there seemed to be less sandy winds.
The two climbed a dune. They could faintly see some signs of human habitation in the distance.
The girl rubbed her eyes, thinking it was a mirage.
Marvin gently patted her head, spitting some sand that had gotten into his mouth. “It’s here.”
This was an oasis. The most famous town of the eastern part of the Saint Desert, [Kassemuir], was founded on this oasis.
The desert people believed that this was a land blessed by gods because many oases in the desert faded away with the passage of time, but only this Kassemuir oasis didn’t.
It had stood straight for an era.
Most of the Saint Desert was occupied by the Bai clan. As for the Sha clan, they were only a small part occupying the stone forest in the north, studying their gunpowder and firearms.
“In the language of the Bai clansmen, Kassemuir means ‘Pearl’.”
“This is the place I said I would bring you to.”
Marvin held Isabelle’s hand and walked to the oasis.
The town could slowly be seen in the distance.
This town wasn’t unfamiliar to Mavin. He had hung around and gotten pretty high reputation there due to some coincidence, nearly becoming the Bai Clan head.
As for Kassemuir, he knew quite a bit.
This town wasn’t as calm as it looked.
There were hidden undercurrents that other people couldn’t see. These frightening shadows should still be dormant at this time. If they appeared, they might frighten the entire Saint Desert.
But the reason Marvin came wasn’t to settle a hidden danger in Kassemuir.
In fact, he had left White River Valley with one goal: Grabbing the Source of Fire’s Order.
Only with that Source of Fire’s Order could they resist the waves of chaos magic during the Great Calamity and establish an area that temporarily wouldn’t be subject to the influence of chaos magic.
That was the reason the Rocky Mountain could found a country at that time. The three Fate Sisters had a Source of Fire’s Order in hand.
They lit the order, to bless the people.
Even if Marvin didn’t know where they got that Source of Fire’s Order, he knew they actually had three of them.
The first one was stolen by Shadow Prince Glynos. The second was forcefully extinguished by many gods joining hands when the sisters lit it.
As for the third, the eldest of the sisters, that fierce girl who personally tore apart the Black Dragon, eliminated a few gods’ avatars and burnt the order.
Despite this, they suffered from the gods jealousy toward the Rocky Mountain and thus, it didn’t last for long.
Marvin required the Source of Fire’s Order. He knew the gods’ tricks, so he only needed one.
But getting more would naturally be even better.
Thus, he left White River Valley this time to go for the Sorcerer country, Rocky Mountain!
As for the Saint Desert, they were only passing through.
Kassemuir was a hub. If not for Isabelle, Marvin wouldn’t need to come here.
But what made Marvin frown was that it was apparently the wrong time to get there.
When they finally arrived at the town, they found out that it was under martial law!
People without IDs wouldn’t be able to enter Kassemuir. They might even be captured as spies by the guards.
‘What happened?’
Marvin curiously looked at a huge group of people gathered around a signboard outside Kassemuir.
He pulled Isabelle’s hands and moved closer.
…
In the barren endless desert.
A few slanted cactuses were lying on the roadside.
A hungry and thirsty traveller was on the roadside, apparently having lost his way.
His lips were split open, probably from dehydration. Without help, he might not survive this crisis.
Suddenly, a nimble White Deer appeared in his sight.
A White Deer appearing in the desert?
If an average person saw it, they might only think it was a mirage.
But this traveler seemed strangely attracted and staggered up.
The White Deer stayed in place, unmoving.
The man slowly approached.
The White Deer simply kept standing there, its eyes full of kindness.
But at that time, the traveler suddenly showed his sinister fangs. His face caved in, turning into a circle of frightening sharp teeth!
The White Deer was immediately startled!
But it was too late. The traveler had already pounced on it and bitten the White Deer’s neck.
The latter fell on the ground, struggling for a moment before being sucked dry by the traveler, meeting a tragic death in the desert.
The traveler chuckled and wiped the bloodstains, returning to the appearance of a normal man.
At that time, a white clothed woman suddenly appeared.
“Good job.”
“Keep killing White Deer. But pay attention to Kassemuir’s side. Someone already took note of our operation.”
“We have to be careful of the retribution of the Bai,” the woman briefly warned in a soft voice.
The traveler chuckled disapprovingly. “Rest assured, Lady Deceiver.”
“Those silly Bais still can’t differentiate humans from Evil Spirits..”
The white clothed woman nodded. “That’s fine.”
“According to my investigation, it’s rumored that only by killing a certain amount of White Deer would one be able to attract the [White Deer Holy Spirit]’s anger.”
“This is the only opportunity to open the White Deer’s cave. Only by grabbing the treasure inside we will be able to set up the Disaster Door.”
“Keep going, but remember to not let
the Bai worshippers find out about you. Otherwise the White Deer Holy Spirit won’t leave the White Deer Cave. Understood?”
The traveler nodded.
Then a sandy wind blew across and the woman disappeared.
The traveler kept going forward.
And that poor White Deer was already buried in the sand.
…
In front of the bulletin board, Marvin was seriously looking at the contents.
Unlike the other people who came attracted by their curiosity, he actually understood the meaning behind this announcement.
‘Large scale White Deer killings?’
‘No wonder the Bais want to seal off Kassemuir.’
‘The White Deer Holy Spirit is the sacred beast of the Bai clansmen.’
Information about those White Deers appeared in Marvin’s mind.
It’s rumored that when the Bai ancestors were forced to migrate to this desert, they couldn’t adapt to the life there. They could find neither water nor a place to survive.
At that time, the White Deer Holy Spirit appeared, showing them the path, and ultimately leading them to an oasis.
The White Deer Holy Spirit was the Bai clan’s deity.
It had many heirs, and these mysterious White Deer had the ability to be invisible. They were scattered all over the desert.
The normally couldn’t be seen.
Occasionally, when travelers who lost their way, tumbling on the roadside, were in crisis, the White Deer would appear to them.
At that time, as long as they followed behind it, they could find a water source and keep on living.
Similar legends existed in various parts of the Saint Desert.
These White Deers were under the protection of the Bai clan and they were travelers’ benefactors.
But now, the angry Bai clansmen found out a great amount of White Deer corpses.
Someone was killing the White Deer.
This made the Bai clansmen unable to restrain their anger. They sealed off all the oases and began to investigate this matter.
Seeing the contents of this bulletin board, other might just wonder why someone was killing White Deers, but Marvin knew it was a serious matter.
‘A White Deer bloodbath, only to draw out the White Deer Holy Spirit. Only then would the White Deer Cave from the rumors would be shortly opened.’
Night Ranger - Full Series - 735 Chapters Page 131
