The Count’s Youngest Son Is A Player - Chapter 184
Episode 184:
A few days after the players’ migration ends.
Raoul and the executives were gathering and having a meeting.
“How are the players reacting?”
“There don’t seem to be any complaints so far. “In fact, they were satisfied with the generous support.”
When Raoul asked, Kane reported the players’ reactions obtained through informants.
“Of course you should! No matter where you go in the world, there will be no place that supports mercenaries like our territory. “Isn’t that right?”
Jake said, clenching his fists, and Philip nodded.
“It’s a little different from a mercenary, but Jake’s words aren’t wrong. Even Marcus, the mercenary kingdom, will not treat you like this.”
The funds Raul poured into accepting the player this time and the future costs were enormous.
“Honestly, as someone in charge of money management, I would like to advise you to reduce the support a bit… but since there have been very few cases where the Master made a loss-making investment, I will follow your instructions. However, please do not forget that we do not have a lot of spare funds anymore.”
Bernard said while reporting the territory’s budget plan.
Currently, the financial situation of the First Guild and Territory was tight.
This is because Raoul continued to invest funds as the incoming income increased.
Additional investment for each Free City.
Expansion of each castle and city construction project.
Cost of acquiring the Magic Tower and creating the First Magic Tower.
In addition, the cost of this player migration (various migration support fees and auxiliary costs).
Even Raoul would have found it difficult to cope if it were not for the now stable potion manufacturing factory and various sales targeting players in the Free City.
“But if everything goes as planned, it will never be a loss-making investment. “Isn’t that right?”
Dalton, who had already drawn a blueprint for Raul and the player, asked with a smile, and Raul agreed.
“The 10,000 players accepted this time will stand out among the countless players who will appear in the future. “Their movements become a milestone for those who will visit later.”
Raoul pulled out the Connect map lying in the middle of the table.
Then, the First Viscounty in the southwest of the map was moved to the center of the table.
“Our First Viscounty must grow into a kind of gateway for new players to pass through in the future. “It starts as a free city, but in order to advance to the continent, you have to go through our territory.”
“But will it benefit us? If a bunch of idiots keep coming in, it only worsens public order and the money it costs players is a lot of money, right? Wouldn’t it be better to train more knights and troops?”
Jake’s question also seemed reasonable.
However, that was an ordinary perspective that had not yet properly experienced the existence of a player.
“You will find out why soon. A force that is not afraid of death and can be resurrected even if it dies is a force that is scarier than you can imagine.”
In addition, when players enter dungeons and gates in earnest, a much different amount of loot will come pouring in than what the First Guild currently secures.
If that happens, the prices of things that are Raoul’s main source of income, such as mana stones and cores, will plummet.
‘Because I plan to change the income structure before that.’
If the entrance fee that players receive when entering a dungeon, the commission that is collected when selling loot, and other various taxes are collected, the income will increase incomparably.
And in order to directly process and dispose of the increasing by-products, wouldn’t they be building a magic tower that can manufacture power armor?
Even if it wasn’t the economic aspect, the benefits of accepting players as residents were sufficient.
‘No matter what the players think, it means that they have become my territory in the end.’
Although they were bound by a contract, it was important that they became a community of destiny.
If someone targeted Raoul’s territory, the army of players who were not afraid of death would also turn into enemies.
Of course, Raul had no intention of using the players only for defensive purposes.
“Are you ready to create the First Players Association?”
“We are coordinating well with the Purple Guild as the center. “It will be officially launched after the cooperation guild general meeting tomorrow.”
When Dalton answered coolly, Raoul looked satisfied.
In the end, Raoul’s ultimate goal is to make players who connect to Connect move in the direction he wants.
The [First Players Association] was like the first step toward achieving that goal.
* * *
“So, are you asking me to become the president of the association now?”
Kim Il-woo asked back with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“okay. Player Kim Il-woo. “I would like you to serve as the first president of the newly created [First Players Association].”
Kim Il-woo scratched his head at Raoul’s blunt words.
“Oh no. To be honest, just working at the Purple Guild is overwhelming. “Are you the president of the association?”
“You don’t have to think too hard. After all, it’s just an extension of Purple Guild’s work. “I will help you and provide competent administrative personnel to the association.”
When even Dalton, who was next to him, urged him to become the president of the association, Ilwoo sighed and asked.
“Why me? To be honest, I’m not someone who has learned a lot, and I’m not much better than others. I just happened to be lucky enough to enter the academy and join the purple guild, but…”
Raoul quickly cut off the conversation, feeling that if he left it alone, he would continue to belittle himself.
“That’s very different from what I thought. “I really thought we created the Purple Guild by selecting only the best of the best.”
“That’s…”
“You’re not special in the first place? “If being second in the overall Connect Player rankings isn’t special, then who is special?”
Ilwoo was speechless for a moment at Raoul’s words.
In real life, he was an orphan and a low-level office worker who couldn’t even graduate from a decent college.
However, I somehow got lucky and won as an early player of Connect, and thanks to some talent and good characteristics, I even became the assistant master of the Purple Guild.
‘2nd place overall…’
To be honest, I didn’t even care about the rankings.
This is because he was busy managing the guild and comforting the unique guild members in place of Bae Do-hyun, who was almost always away.
Nevertheless, as I solved various requests provided by the First Guild and cooperative hunting quests with guild members, my ranking naturally rose.
At that time, Raoul spoke as if driving a wedge.
“Honestly, I don’t know what kind of person you are in this world. However, the Kim Il-woo that we have seen here at Connect is a special person who has the ability to deserve to be treated well and whose future we are looking forward to.”
“I also agree with what Master said. Ilwoo, you are the best player and promising player we have chosen. “As a ranker who represents the entire Purple Guild players, I hope you have a little more confidence.”
Ilwoo seemed a little moved after hearing Raoul and Dalton’s words.
He looked flushed for a moment and eventually nodded.
“All right. Since you trust me so much, it’s harder to refuse. “I will do it, president of the association.”
“Good idea! “It may be a little busier in the future, but don’t worry, we will help you as much as we can at the territory level.”
After comforting Kim Il-woo, Dalton began to explain in earnest about the association and what the president should do.
As Ilwoo listened to the explanation, a question suddenly appeared in his mind.
‘But what happened to Do-hyun that he made me the president of the association? If you think about it, the best player is Dohyun.’
Sometimes it is better not to know and pass by.
* * *
Buzz.
A banquet hall with about twenty round tables.
Nearly a hundred players were gathered in one place and chatting.
They were masters and executives of cooperative guilds and some independent rankers who had recently moved to Raoul’s territory.
The number of guilds with 30 or more people who moved through this recruitment is approximately 100.
However, it was not possible to gather all the guild masters in one place.
No, you could collect it, but Raoul didn’t do that.
The only ones gathered here today were the guilds within the top 30, which were the largest and had the highest public value.
Only those who have the right to vote on various issues to be decided by the association in the future were invited.
On the podium, executives of the First Guild, including Raoul, were sitting in separately provided chairs.
And with Kim Il-woo and some of the Purple Guild’s rankers sitting on the other side, the meeting host shouted.
“…We hereby declare that Kim Il-woo has been unanimously elected as the first president of the [First Players Association].”
Clap clap clap.
As applause erupted, Ilwoo, with a bit of confidence on his face, walked briskly and headed towards the lecture platform in the middle of the podium.
“The undeserved position of president of the association….”
Ilwoo briefly announced his thoughts on being elected and his future aspirations and returned to his seat.
“With this, we will conclude the formal ceremony and finally listen to the words of Viscount Raoul, the master of the First Guild, the owner of the First Territory, and the advisor and chief supporter of the First Players Association.”
The banquet hall, which had been whispering a little while ago, became completely quiet.
All players’ eyes turned to Raoul, as if they had been waiting for just this moment.
fluttering.
Raoul said, holding up a small booklet containing dozens of pages.
“Everyone will have received this booklet. The purpose of creating the association and the role it will perform are recorded here.”
Raoul threw the book onto the lectern.
“But I guess that’s not what you’re really curious about. Why would the residents of Connect, and not the players, create something like a ‘Players Association’? “Could it be that they are trying to take advantage of us?”
Raoul slowly turned his head and made eye contact with each of the players.
“I’ll be honest. It is as you suspect. “I created this association to take advantage of you ‘players’!”
In an instant, the atmosphere in the banquet hall became cold.
The players were looking at Raoul with slightly surprised expressions, as if they had not expected him to say such a thing.
“As the master of the First Guild and the lord of the First Territory, I have a duty to look after them and take responsibility for their safety. So, I have summoned you, the players, to this territory. “To protect this territory and its residents as well.”
Raoul pointed at the players with his hand.
“Why did you come here? Everyone may have their own reasons, but in the end, they probably came here to achieve something. But how much do you really know about this connection?”
Raoul said, patting his chest.
“I will be your shade and guide to protect you. I will lead the way until you find the path you want. This association exists for him.”
When Raoul raised his hand, a magic screen unfolded in front of the banquet hall, displaying the map of the continent.
There were red dots everywhere where each kingdom and empire was drawn, and a diagram was engraved in the upper corner of the map.
The red dots were areas lost to monsters due to the gate incident, and the chart roughly displayed the estimated number of dungeons and the number of new gates created every day.
“As you can see, the continent is still engulfed in chaos and threats. I plan to use your power to stabilize this territory and calm the chaos on the continent. You too!”
Raoul pounded his chest again.
“Use me and the First Guild. Don’t give in to anyone, grow, grow, and finally achieve what you want! “I believe that this is the path that we, you and I, must move forward together.”
That’s where Raoul’s story ended.
Afterwards, a simple meal and banquet followed, and the general meeting of cooperative guilds and the creation of the First Player Association were concluded smoothly.
“But was it really okay to talk about it so openly?”
When Bernard asked cautiously, Raoul chuckled.
“Won’t they know that I don’t talk about it? “There’s no need to be pretentious if everything is going to be known anyway.”
On the surface, there were only 10,000 players, but in reality, there were billions of Earthlings standing behind them.
It meant that no matter how stupid the tricks were, they would all be discovered.
Moreover, what Raoul wanted from them was not loyalty or absolute cooperation.
‘Loyalty to the people of Earth in the 21st century. Rather than such ridiculous expectations.’
Wouldn’t it be more realistic to make a reasonable transaction?
Of course, even if it were a deal, the balance of power is in the hands of Raoul right now.
“Now that the establishment of the association has been completed, let’s get moving in earnest. Call a meeting.”
What is Raoul aiming for next, with the sharp sword of the player in his hand?
(Continued in the next part)