The Count’s Youngest Son Is A Player - Chapter 267
Episode 267
“Hahaha, please take care of me in the future. Count Raoul.”
“Please take care of me, Marquis Alode.”
Gorgeous drawing room.
Raoul was shaking hands with a well-built man who appeared to be in his mid-50s.
Marquis of Allode.
He was one of the three marquis in the Kingdom of Marcus and ran the Hamart Mercenary Knights, named after his family.
Thanks to his insistence on a neutral position in the last battle for the throne, the Marquis Hamart got through the civil war without much trouble.
But whether that was satisfactory was not the case.
One of the marquis who was deeply involved in the civil war lost his main force and was hated by the king, so he was demoted to a count.
However, the marquis who supported the new king reached the peak by becoming the first duke of the Marcus Kingdom…
‘Damn. ‘These no-frills Jesto guys are operatives?’
But what can you do?
I can’t help but blame myself for choosing to protect myself rather than invest.
And Raoul took aim at that.
A time when the civil war is over, forces are reorganized, and other noble families are working hard to develop new territories.
Marquis Hamart couldn’t even take care of the rice cakes and was only sucking his fingers, so he was only swallowing his mouth as if he had nothing to gain.
What appeared at that time was the opening of the Geumyeok region.
Of course, it was said to be limited to players, but there was no way the nobles would care about that.
It was natural to want to somehow catch Geonsu and apply acupuncture to Geumyeok.
‘But I can’t trust strangers…’
Due to the nature of the marquis who directly managed a mercenary group, he was well aware of the physiology of players similar to him.
These people are like moths who cannot tolerate the benefits that are right in front of them.
Even if a contract was signed, there was no guarantee that the promises would be kept.
Moreover, even if a problem arose, it was impossible to even enter the Geumyeok area without permission.
If we were not careful, we could have enriched the bellies of foreigners and been pushed out of Geumyeok.
At that time, Raoul came to see me.
When he first asked to visit, he was not a very welcome guest.
Although he is only a count, the number of masters he commands exceeds ten, so the first reason is that it is burdensome.
‘Our profits have decreased drastically because of the First Guild run by him!’
It was the second time that there was no particular reason to welcome it as a competitor in the same industry.
But half a day later after talking with Raoul.
“Hahahaha! Leave the rest to our marquis. “I will personally take care to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible.”
The hostility toward Raoul had disappeared from his mind as he enjoyed pouring the wine himself.
Geumyeok development.
Raoul suggested a way to enter the market, which is rapidly emerging as the hottest investment item among nobles.
Although it seemed grandiose, it was actually a simple proposal for cooperation.
Raoul uses the Purple Guild under his command to secure the key points of Geumyeok.
And the marquess is responsible for its development and protective collection rights.
Instead, the profits are distributed appropriately according to the investment ratio.
‘You can’t trust strangers, but you can trust Count Raoul.’
Who gained the most fame through this civil war?
They were neither new kings of each kingdom nor existing powerful figures.
That’s Raoul.
Master of the Ten Masters and owner of the First Guild.
An incredibly resourceful person who can mobilize hundreds of thousands of players to do whatever he wants.
And he himself is the continent’s greatest genius knight, reaching master level in his teens.
All noble families on the continent already knew that Raoul had contributed greatly to quickly ending the civil war in the Kingdom of Ruben.
Not only that, but it was also secretly known that he later influenced the outcome of civil wars in other countries through the First Guild and the Purple Association.
‘If you meet an enemy, you will never be able to defeat him. But if we hold hands, nothing can be more reassuring than that.’
Besides, how could someone with such a reputation commit fraud against a marquess from another country?
“Hahahaha, just make yourself comfortable like it’s your own home.”
Thanks to the Marquis’ feeling better, Raoul had to stay at the Marquis for three days and be invited to parties.
“how is it? “The marquis.”
“The Marquis seemed a little light, but I think I can trust him. Since he did not participate in the civil war, he has sufficient troops, and it appears that the Marquis has been making internal preparations to advance into the Geumyeok region.”
“I guess so.”
Raoul nodded after hearing Kane’s answer.
In fact, Raoul knew the Marquis Hamart well.
This is because in his past life, Bae Do-hyeon’s home in Connect was the Kingdom of Marcus, and his main area of activity was the Marquis of Hamart.
‘He was a calculating person, but he never crossed the line.’
Although he often made disparaging remarks about strangers, no one kept the contract as thoroughly as he did.
Even if the other person is a stranger.
More than anything, I liked Raoul’s strong dislike for the empire.
‘When the Kingdom of Marcus entered the war, it dispatched the largest number of troops and knights. I also stood on the battlefield sometimes.’
Because Bae Do-hyeon benefited a lot from this, he decided to cooperate with him whenever possible.
“Then, please take care of the rest. If there is any further negotiation or cooperation, Kane can take action first and report.”
“I will. “It won’t happen, but please take care of yourself, Master.”
The two entered the portal and split off to their respective destinations.
Kane was now scheduled to return to the First County and act as Raoul’s substitute, while Raoul headed to the free city of Xena in the Kingdom of Marcus.
* * *
Parbat.
The magic circle flashed, the portal was activated, and Raoul had already arrived in Xena.
And in the meantime, Raoul had changed into Bae Do-hyeon.
‘Whoa, it’s been quite a while.’
It was my first official visit to invest in the Free City, so almost two years had passed.
Even in my past life, I shouldn’t have felt unfamiliar as I stayed here for a long time to conquer the eastern Geumyeok, Elemental Jungle…
‘Wow, it’s changed so much? In my previous life, it was a rural city until the end.’
Although it was not as big as the Free City of Mira, there were five-story buildings lined up here and there, and the downtown area was crowded with numerous players.
Free City of Xena.
It was located to the east of Marcus Kingdom and was the easternmost free city on the entire continent.
Because it was so geographically isolated, it was famous for being underdeveloped even among free cities.
But who would have thought that it was already taking shape like a city.
‘After all, money has to flow for a city to develop.’
Unlike in his previous life, this time Raoul invested quite a bit of money, and with the First Guild occupying the western region, players flocked here.
It must have been very effective.
“We are recruiting an elemental jungle strategy team! “Welcome wizards and spiritists!”
“Top 1,000 tanks will protect you! “Mage-type players, come here!”
“We are looking for people with psychic abilities who can manifest their attributes! “We have powerful tanks ready!”
The plaza resembled a market place as players trying to conquer the elemental jungle were looking for party members.
The fact that they are coming out and shouting that it is okay to use the Connect bulletin board or community.
‘It probably means that the body is hot.’
Moreover, since all they were looking for were wizards, elementals, and elementalists (superpowers)…
this probably meant that the players also had some understanding of the habits of the elemental jungle.
Murmur.
It wasn’t just the square.
The alleys and streets were crowded with players.
The excitement of pioneering the gold zone really touched my skin.
Raoul was able to barely escape the crowd and arrive at the First Guild Zena branch.
“Are you here Master?”
Xena branch leader Willex greeted him warmly.
“It’s been a while, Branch Manager Willex. “Is your training going well?”
“Of course, Master. “I am doing my best to practice so as not to become someone else.”
Even so, quite strong spiritual power could be felt in his body.
‘I’ll be promoted to a higher level soon.’
The Willex branch leader was a ‘tree magician’.
Since it was near the elemental jungle, he was placed as a branch leader so that his characteristics could be utilized.
He probably focused on his own training as there was less to worry about compared to other branches.
“I have prepared well for the work you have asked me to do. “Just contact us and we will have you on standby so you can enter right away.”
“Okay, please take care of me.”
We decided to cooperate with Marquis Hamart in managing the colony, but we also needed players.
So, among the cooperative guilds, we selected in advance where we wanted to go to the Elemental Jungle.
The reason for borrowing the help of others like this was because the First Guild and Purple Guild were busy pioneering the monster forest.
‘And if you carelessly step into another country’s territory, problems may arise.’
There is no rule as to whose land Geumyeok is, but a kingdom whose territory borders on it can claim ownership.
There was no need to fight with them to take over.
‘It’s enough to just receive a moderate fee. A maverick doesn’t last long. There may be a need to share it in moderation.’
“Then would you like me to show you to your residence?”
“no. Since the schedule is later than expected, I will go to Geumyeok right away. “Please guide me to the portal.”
“All right. “Please come this way.”
Although it is said to be the easternmost free city, the distance to Geumyeok was considerable.
Therefore, we have opened a portal that operates regularly near Geum Station.
Of course, there was a separate portal open to players, and Raoul went to the guild-only portal.
* * *
“Jerica Guild is looking for a wizard mercenary!”
“Cade Sun Guild is looking for ranger mercenaries!”
“There is a vacancy for the Ranking 900 Greatest Battle Party! “We’re hiring one magistrate and one subtank!”
“Sub-tank here!”
“I’m a top 2,000 tank! “I’ll treat you well, so take me with you!”
A pioneer camp located at the entrance to Geumyeok.
The place located at the entrance to the elemental jungle was also bustling with players.
The difference is that there are many people who appear to be of much higher level at a glance, and many famous guilds are also established.
Raoul (Bae Do-hyeon) smiled as he recalled old memories.
At one time, everyone stood in line to have Bae Do-hyun as a party member.
‘I didn’t make the fixed party until the end, but I did run the attack and defense occasionally.’
Occasionally, a guild name that was distracting to the eye was heard or a symbol was seen.
These were guilds that had been members of a large guild association in their previous lives.
However, Bae Do-hyeon pretended not to notice and passed by them.
‘I’m busy with work right now, so let’s meet up soon.’
Even if he didn’t go there, it was as obvious as seeing fire that they would collide again.
And Bae Do-hyun has grown too much to care about every single little thing like that.
Even if he didn’t have to use his hands, there were plenty of talented people under him who would wipe them out at once if he gave an order.
Still, it seemed funny to see them walking around with their shoulders squared, even though it was a well-run guild.
“Is it one person?”
The player guarding the camp’s exit asked.
“So?”
“Then it’s 1 gold.”
Raoul took a taste of the man who proudly held out his palm and handed him the gold.
Perhaps it was rather surprising that I paid the toll without saying anything, but the gatekeeper advised me.
“It looks like you are a ranker, but it will be difficult for you alone. Even though it looks like an ordinary forest, it is a very capricious place. “If you haven’t been able to find a party member, can I help you find out?”
“no. it’s okay.”
“Ah yes. “I wish you good luck.”
Bae Do-hyeon’s masked attire was clearly that of a high-level player.
Because he was armed with the highest quality armor and weapons sold at First Workshop.
A moment after Bae Do-hyun passed through the door.
The gatekeeper communicated with someone.
“A solo player who appears to be a high ranker has just entered. Your equipment is… and the guild mark is not visible. Yes, yes, we will take action like that.”
Immediately after communication ends.
Several players wearing capes passed through the camp entrance and started following Bae Do-hyeon.
(Continued in the next part)