: How to Make Money?

Chapter 9: How to Make Money?

"Miss Monica just said that Baron Swood doesn't know anything about this. He might even be trying to arrange this marriage." Mia stood by the bed, still as steadfast as a javelin.

Hmm, the javelin is exquisitely shaped and embossed; it's quite pleasing to the eye.

"So what? You saw it yourself, Monica doesn't like me, you could even say she hates me," Alphonse said casually, glancing at Mia.

"That's not a problem. Noble marriages are always about exchanging favors. If you can marry Miss Monica, it will benefit Coldwind Territory. Baron Swood is very rich, while Coldwind Territory is very poor. If the marriage goes through, you can get Baron Swood's assistance. Even if you don't like each other, you can each do your own thing after the marriage. She can keep her lovers, and you can find other women. As long as you maintain the marriage on the surface, that's fine."

Alphonse: "."

WTF!

Mia, are your views on marriage really that broken? Or are the nobles of this world just this promiscuous?

As long as life is manageable, is it okay to be a little cuckolded?

Please spare me!

In his previous life, he was in a political marriage and had six wives, but he was not happy at all. The harem was full of infighting and he didn't have a single confidant. He was finally reborn, but he still had to go through this again.

"No way! Even if I were to get married, I wouldn't marry a woman who doesn't love me!"

"The financial situation in Coldwind Territory is not good right now. You are about to inherit the title. As the lord, you should learn to make appropriate sacrifices," Mia said with a serious expression.

Alphonse was taken aback; he had never really considered this possibility.

The original owner of this body seems to have no memory of this, having always lived a comfortable life under the protection of her parents.

"Then why didn't you stop me just now?"

"As a knight, it is impolite for you to interrupt when your lord is talking to someone." Mia paused. "In front of outsiders, you should at least save face for him."

Alphonse was used to Mia's lack of politeness, after all, she was currently the strongest fighter in the Coldwind Territory.

"Are we running out of money?"

"After the lady fell ill, the finances were temporarily handed over to me. We still have 263 gold coins, 47 silver coins, and 23 copper coins. We need to pay the soldiers' and servants' salaries, as well as cover the expenses in the castle."

Alphonse was somewhat stunned. In his previous life, after achieving great success, he was never short of money. Even before he became famous, it wasn't a big problem for him to engage in Robin Hood-like activities to help the poor.

But with only two hundred or so gold coins, it does seem like not much.

"Why is there so little?"

"After the lord passed away, the funeral cost a lot of money, and we also paid the soldiers' pensions. We only had a surplus after selling the magic crystal of that giant-toothed demon wolf and getting five hundred gold coins," Mia replied.

"Is the situation that bad?" Alphonse clicked his tongue. "How does the Baron's mansion make money to stay afloat?"

"There's only land rent and taxes. You're always out causing trouble in the territory, so you should know that Coldwind Territory is very poor. The Baron's Mansion doesn't have any other industries. Most of the people in the territory make a living by farming, and the harvest here isn't good." Mia pondered for a moment. "For now, we can manage. The autumn harvest is coming soon, and we'll collect a sum of money then. However, the Lord still owes debts. The taxes alone are only enough to cover daily expenses, far from enough to pay off the debts."

Still owe money?

Alphonse's facial muscles twitched; he hadn't expected his cheapskate father to leave behind such a mess.

"How much do you owe?"

"Three thousand gold coins."

"How did we get into this debt?" Alphonse was incredibly annoyed. He thought that since he had inherited the title, he only needed to lie low and cultivate diligently until he mastered his divine skills. Even if he encountered some forbidden spell mage or legendary creature, he would still have the strength to fight. Who would have thought that his territory would actually be in debt?

"Your monthly billing at the tavern is also a cost," Mia said coldly.

That was the fault of that bastard from before, how can you blame me!

Alphonse mentally groaned.

Seeing Alphonse's somewhat absent-minded look, Mia continued, "From now on, you will be the lord of Coldwind Territory. You should know these things, and you should also take on the responsibilities that come with them. However, until the lady recovers, I will still manage the finances. I cannot trust you yet."

"Alright, alright!" Alphonse waved his hand impatiently.

They're just worried I'll squander money. I don't even care about those little bits of cash.

A living person can't be killed by holding their pee. As a time traveler, making money isn't easy!

Mia stopped arguing, turned around and walked out, closing the door behind her.

Alphonse fell into deep thought.

In his previous life, he was all alone. When he roamed the martial world, he was content with just being fed. After ascending to the throne of the Ten Directions Holy Sect, all six major sects under his command had their own property and their own offerings.

Now things are different; there's an old mother now, who has taken over this body and can't be abandoned.

How can I make money?

Crossing through three treasures: soap, liquor, and glass.

Glass has existed in this other world for a long time; even the windows of the castle are made of it. Although it's not pure enough, making money by manufacturing glass is definitely not an option.

I don't know if spirits will sell. As far as I remember, whenever my predecessor went to a party, he drank mead and wine. In the tavern, it was mostly ale. White spirits might not sell well, and the territory doesn't produce grapes, so it's not good for making wine.

Soap?

I also have a special one. I used it in the shower a couple of days ago. Although it doesn't look as good as modern ones, it has lavender essential oil in it, so it has a nice fragrance.

What's the point of selling this?!

Is there anything in this world that doesn't exist?

The protagonists in Western fantasy novels always like to build steam engines, but as a liberal arts student, I only know the general operating theory. It's impossible for me to build a steam engine by hand.

You only realize how little you know when you need it!

Alphonse racked his brains, but couldn't come up with a quick way to make money.

In my previous life, as an intellectual liberal arts student, I did do some research, such as browsing Douyin and Kuaishou, and reading novels on Bilibili and Qidian. But when I delved deeper, I suddenly found it hard to come up with a clear answer.

Oh, right, cement!

The territory is full of mountains. As long as you find limestone and some coal, clay will be everywhere. The goal is to build an earthen kiln.

This can be considered as an alternative.

Alphonse had absolutely no idea how to build a traditional brick kiln. On Bilibili, only content creators had built very small kilns. Firing a kiln would require very high temperatures, and cement, being a new type of building material, could definitely be sold. Perhaps in the future, when he had more money, he could hire some craftsmen to experiment with it.

Think about whether there's anything simpler.

Alphonse racked his brains, but his mind was still in a terrible state; he still had no money.

I don't know how many brain cells I lost, but this contemplation dragged on until lunchtime.

The maid arrived and called for dinner.

(End of this chapter)